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The tavern was small and quiet, much quieter than it normally would have been in the middle of the night on a weekend. Business was slow. A few drunken men were playing some kind of game in the corner, a couple were talking to each other across the bar.
The only one there by himself was Fiyero.
Fiyero sat by himself on the opposite end of the tavern, away from everybody else. A bottle was in his hands, but he hadn’t even unscrewed the cap. He stared at the wood of the table, absently rubbing his head.
It had only been two months since Elphaba and Glinda had left for the Emerald City. Two months ago, the world drastically changed.
Elphaba was now public enemy number one, the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda was now becoming a public figure, training to become a witch herself. Fiyero had gone to the Emerald City for a while to help comfort her for the loss of their friend and helped to try and find her. Elphaba hadn’t left either of them any kind of message.
And now, on top of everything else, Glinda had offered him a job. To join the Gale Force, be on the team responsible for finding the Witch. And not for good reasons.
How could Glinda possibly suggest that?
And now Fiyero was in a small town he didn’t know the name of, several miles away from the Emerald City. He told Glinda he would think about it, but in the meantime he would take his time to travel. Only he wasn’t. He didn’t know where he was going, he was just…going.
He wasn’t entirely sure what he had been doing these past few days. He was thinking a lot, yet still trying not to. The more he did, the more it hurt. But there wasn’t much to distract himself with this time.
He could accept the position. But doing so would mean quite a few things. It would mean he’d have better resources to look for Elphaba, but at dangerous expenses. He’d have to live a lie, claiming to want to hunt the witch as much as anyone else. He’d have to live in the Emerald City, where Glinda was, and she would certainly try to keep clinging to him. All of it meant he’d have to be around the glitz and glamour of Oz while knowing the dark truth.
His other option was to keep doing what he was doing. Keep looking for Elphaba on his own. Wandering by himself, going into taverns in the middle of the night to try and avoid thinking about all of it.
Or maybe he could try and go back to school, or even go back home. But the idea of facing either of those things alone was too sickening to consider.
Fiyero rubbed his head with a sigh. He was exhausted, as he always was. He stood up, leaving his drink untouched on the table.
Exiting the tavern, Fiyero stood by the wall, glancing down the street. If he remembered correctly, there was an inn nearby.
A loud clunking noise sounded nearby.
Fiyero sharply turned. There were a few people still up, but mostly departing for their homes for the evening. He walked to the corner of the tavern. Along the other wall were stacks of barrels and firewood. A stone brick chimney ran up the length of the building.
A fallen log seemed to be the source of the noise. Fiyero nearly turned and left before he noticed a sliver of movement. Fiyero squinted, taking a step closer, looking in the direction the log fell.
Behind the chimney and wood was a small, dark shape at about eye’s height, almost unnoticeable in the night. It stuck out slightly from behind the chimney.
Like the rim of a wide hat.
Right as he processed the information, the doors of the tavern opened. The larger group were chatting with each other, voices growing louder.
Fiyero quickly moved to the wall, leaning against it, trying to act casual as he waited for everyone to pass by. He pretended to absently fiddle with his pockets, acting like he was simply bored and loitering around.
The drunken staggers’ laughs echoed as they rounded the street corner.
Fiyero checked the streets again. There was no one in sight.
Ducking around the corner where the chimney ran along the side of the building…there was no one there.
Standing there in shock for a moment, his heart fell. How could she have left so soon? Unless he was somehow imagining things?
But yet, as he was silently standing, he heard the sound of light footsteps on grass.
Eyes darting to the side, glancing over the small patch of grass, there was a line of trees that turned into a forest. He swore he saw a shadow move.
Fiyero broke out into a run, dashing across the grass and entering the woods.
He wouldn’t be able to find her in here, especially with all the shadows, and certainly not if she kept running.
“Elphaba,” he called out, wary of raising his voice above a speaking tone. “Elphaba, are you there?”
A slight falter in the rustling sound.
Fiyero slowed his pace, glancing around. “Elphaba, I’m not here to hurt you.”
Silence.
“Elphaba–”
“Then why are you here?”
Fiyero turned, seeing her figure hesitantly step into the light.
She was the same as he last saw her…but somehow different. Her black dress was tattered, her hat was still firmly on her head, and she clutched her broom in her hand as if it would fly away without her on it. Her skin and facial features were somehow even more mesmerizing in this lighting.
Fiyero caught his breath, but took a step towards her. “Oz, Elphaba, are you alright?”
Elphaba flinched as he approached, so he quickly stopped. “What do you think? I’m a wanted criminal now. The Wicked Witch. You shouldn’t even be talking to me.”
“You really think I believe that?” Fiyero asked incredulously. “Elphaba, you’re not wicked. You’re my friend. I was so worried about you when I heard about what happened.”
Elphaba looked away.
Fiyero hesitantly took another step forward. She didn’t react. “You don’t need to run from me.”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I have things to do, places to be. And…I didn’t really think you’d want to see me.”
Fiyero let out a quick breath, shocked. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Nobody does. I thought you’d be like everyone else.”
Fiyero’s face fell.
Elphaba must have noticed his wounded expression, because she quickly added, “You’re not like them. You are different, in a good way. But…I don’t know. I couldn’t bear you looking at me the same way everyone else does. And…and I thought it was irritating and ridiculous before. But now after the Wizard, and all this…I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”
Fiyero scoffed. “Why would I help you if I was afraid of you?”
“A favor for old time’s sake?” She suggested, then sighed. “I don’t know. Well…I’m glad you’re not afraid.”
“I’m afraid for you,” he admitted. “Things got so dangerous for you so fast. I don’t want you to get hurt. You shouldn’t–”
“Don’t,” Elphaba sharply interjected. “Don’t you dare tell me to let it go. Don’t try and stop me.”
Fiyero blinked in surprise. “I wasn’t going to.”
“But I–you–” Elphaba trailed off, putting her face in her hands. “I’m sorry, I just…”
Fiyero finally reached out to gently touch her shoulder. She gave a small flinch at the initial contact, but didn’t pull away.
Fiyero gently spoke. “Elphaba, look at me.”
She hesitated, but finally lowered her hands from her face, cautiously meeting his eyes.
Her expression broke his heart. She was clearly scared, clearly frightened. There was uncertainty directed towards him and towards everyone else she had known. He couldn’t blame her for not trusting him. She had been through so much in just the past few months.
And yet…there was something else in her eyes. Confidence. Certainty. Something passionate, something determined. He had caught glimpses of this during their time at Shiz, but now it seemed even stronger than ever.
“I was going to say you shouldn’t have to deal with all of this,” Fiyero said gently. “Is this what you want?”
“I have to do this,” Elphaba insisted. “It’s the right thing to do. There are Animals that are suffering that need help.”
“Of course I know that,” Fiyero said. “I meant…you don’t have to do it alone. All by yourself.”
“I don’t exactly see anyone else willing to–”
“Elphaba,” he said, stopping her, lowering his head to look closer into her eyes.
Elphaba paused, meeting his eyes. Her features softened slightly, understanding what he was implying. She thought for a long time.
Their faces this close together, Fiyero felt his focus starting to slip. Thoughts crept into his head of expressing his love and begging to ride away with her into the night. Ideas that they could be together for the rest of their lives, never truly alone again.
And maybe, for the first time, both of them would truly learn what it meant to love and be loved by somebody.
Fiyero reprimanded himself. That wasn’t the point of this. Now wasn’t the time to be a hopeless romantic. The point was to help her fight against the Wizard.
“People seem to like you,” Elphaba suddenly said. “I’m sure there’s something you could do to help the Animals on your side of things, since you are actually capable of going out in public.”
“I’ve been trying,” he admitted. “But there’s not much I can do without knowing what exactly is going on. Elphaba, I want to help.”
Elphaba bit her lip. “My point still stands. There are many things you can do without me.”
Fiyero blinked. “So…you don’t want me with you.”
Elphaba hesitated. “Fiyero, you wouldn’t want that. It’s certainly not the kind of life for a prince. And you have Glinda, you need to take care of her. You can’t give all of that up to be a runaway. You have your own life.”
But did he?
“Besides, if you really mean it, you could be very effective at helping the Animals,” Elphaba continued. “Secretly, of course. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“And I don’t want you getting hurt,” Fiyero protested, now putting both hands on her shoulders.
Elphaba hesitated. “Then we’ll both promise each other to be careful.”
Fiyero let out a slow exhale. “So…will we meet up later, or…?”
“No,” Elphaba said quickly. “Fiyero, I can’t do that.”
Fiyero pulled his hands away, aghast. “So…so you’re just going to fly away by yourself, then? That’s it?”
“Fiyero, I need to do this,” Elphaba insisted, her voice now stronger. “I need to prove this to myself. I need to know that I really can do something good.”
Fiyero bit his lip. She sounded sure of herself. He shouldn’t interfere with that. But was it really the best idea? To shoulder everything all on her own?
He supposed he knew something about what that was like.
“If…if you say so,” he managed to say. “Just…”
“Be careful?” Elphaba finished for him.
Fiyero sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. I’ll just…try to do some good in the meantime. I’ll…” he hesitated. “I’ll miss you.”
Elphaba’s expression softened for a brief moment, but then she curtly nodded. “I’ll be trying to do good, too. Thank you, Fiyero.”
She turned to leave, but Fiyero quickly caught her wrist. “Elphaba, wait.”
Elphaba froze, but didn’t pull away from his grip.
Fiyero didn’t know what to say. Whatever he did say, it could be the last thing he said to her for a long, long time. Maybe if he didn’t stop talking, she’d have to stay forever. Or maybe if he didn’t say anything, she would have to wait for him to finish his thought. Maybe he could change her mind.
But he knew this moment would have to end eventually. And no matter how much he didn’t want her to, she would leave.
His words caught in his throat, confused and overwhelmed and somehow empty, all at the same time. But he managed to say, “For what it’s worth…you’ve already done good.”
Elphaba turned to face him, a soft smile forming on her face. He wasn’t sure if she believed him, but he meant it. She gently pulled her hand away as his grip loosened. “So have you.”
“We’ll…we’ll see each other again, won’t we?”
“Maybe we will.” Elphaba turned away. “Goodbye, Fiyero.”
She walked away, her pace quickening the further she got from him. A few moments later, Fiyero heard a rustle in the wind and caught a glimpse of a shadow speeding away in the night sky.
“Goodbye,” he muttered to the sky.
Fiyero didn’t move, didn’t turn back. He stood there, lost in thought. Or perhaps the absence of thought. All he felt was the emptiness in his chest, stronger than it had ever been before.
Oz, why did it hurt so much? It was as strong as physical pain, but still worse.
It just…hurt.
Now he really was alone. He had found Elphaba, but she didn’t want him. Not like he wanted her. Maybe he’d never see her again, and even if he did, it would most likely be for a stolen few minutes like their encounter today.
There wasn’t any fleeting kind of joy that could distract him. No dancing, no drinking, and certainly no Glinda. None of those would fill the aching mess inside of him.
So…what in Oz was he supposed to do?
He remembered what Elphaba said. Try and do some good.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been trying, however. He had been trying to look for Elphaba, trying to learn more of Glinda’s situation in the Emerald City, and trying to help whatever Animals he encountered.
But maybe there was something more he could do.
Fiyero glumly turned, beginning his walk back to town. He couldn’t escape his feelings. Burrowing them didn’t help as it once had. So maybe he could channel his energy into more of a set focus.
Fiyero froze in his steps.
The Gale Force.
It was the last thing he wanted. But…maybe he could use it to his advantage. He would be close to Glinda, therefore closer to Morrible and the Wizard. He could learn of their plans, he could keep Elphaba safe. And with his guard position, perhaps he could learn what was being done to the Animals and have more resources to help them.
He would still have to stay close to Glinda. Maybe he’d even still have to go along with her attempts to keep him in a relationship. It would be exhausting work. He would have to keep pretending like none of this bothered him at all. He used to be very good at pretending. But now he wondered if it would even work.
But he should still try.
He had to.
Fiyero continued his walk back to town with a new confidence. He made his decision. He was going back to the Emerald City.
Years Later
Fiyero ran through the emergency tunnel leading outside of the city, Elphaba close beside him. Fiyero guided them down turns, having rehearsed this escape before.
They were finally reaching the exit door. Fiyero slowed his pace, fumbling in his coat pockets for the key.
“Fiyero,” Elphaba said somewhat breathlessly. “Fiyero, wait.”
Fiyero paused in front of the door, key in hand. “What is it?”
Elphaba steadied herself, catching her breath. “Are we not going to…talk about this?”
Fiyero gave a slight smirk and he twisted the key in the lock, clicking open the door. “Believe me, I’d love to. But I think we have more pressing matters at hand.”
Before Fiyero crossed the threshold, Elphaba stood in front of him. “No, Fiyero, I mean it,” she insisted. “You can’t just throw your whole life away for me.”
Fiyero shrugged. “I already have.”
“It may not be too late. You can go back, say I forced you or enchanted you or–”
“Elphaba,” Fiyero fiercely interrupted. “I barely had a life to begin with.”
Elphaba’s eyebrows lowered. “Fiyero…”
“I tried to do what I thought was right,” Fiyero said, his voice getting quieter. “And I tried to do good. I tried. But…I was losing myself in the process. And I once thought I could be fine with that, but…” He trailed off. Fiyero gently took her free hand, giving it an assuring squeeze. “I want to go with you.”
Elphaba was looking at their interlocked hands. “Why?” She whispered.
Fiyero rubbed his thumb over one of her knuckles, saddened by her expression. Like she couldn’t believe that anyone would truly want to be around her. “I want to. I really, really do. Since that day, years ago, I have wanted to come with you.”
“It will be dangerous.”
“I know.”
“I couldn’t ask you to–”
“You’re not asking.” Fiyero moved his hands to her shoulders. “Elphaba. Look at me.”
He saw her hesitate, her hand tightening on her broom, but she slowly raised her head to meet his eyes.
Fiyero felt a flash of deja vu as he looked into her eyes, trying to read her expression. She was scared, perhaps terrified. There were deeper lines in her face, showing the amount of turmoil she had been through in the last few years. But…more than anything, she seemed tired. Tired of always running and fighting. Tired of shouldering it all on her own.
And yet, despite it all, there was a faint glimmer of hope in her expression.
“Is this what you want?” He quietly asked.
Elphaba didn’t respond.
Fiyero stepped closer, gently running his hands along her arms. “You don’t have to do this alone anymore. I was willing to follow you years ago. That hasn’t changed, only that I want to follow you more than ever.”
Elphaba blinked, her eyes shimmering slightly. “Yes,” she whispered.
A surge of relief floated through Fiyero. Without thinking, he pulled her into a tight embrace. Elphaba gave a sharp inhale, but slowly started to relax against him.
Fiyero felt the strain in his shoulders slowly starting to fade. She was here. After all of this time. And he was going with her.
She wouldn’t leave again. Not without him.
Fiyero pulled away, but only slightly, leaving their faces close together. There was one more thing he had to know. Elphaba’s eyes met his. His breathing was heavier, feeling her breath against his skin. He widened his eyes, searching, scanning for any kind of answer in her features.
Her glance flicked down to his lips.
Fiyero drew closer, pausing, waiting for any kind of sign that he was misinterpreting what was between them. But she was moving closer as well.
He didn’t know who was the one who closed the gap, or perhaps they both did at the same time. He didn’t particularly care. They were kissing. Finally, finally, after all of this time. The very thing that he had been afraid to dream of but couldn’t help but doing so.
Fiyero had meant for it to be a quick, reassuring kiss. But the more it lingered, the more he never wanted it to end. He felt her arm wrap around his side, the other arm holding her broom pushing into his chest. Fiyero wrapped his arms tighter around her, trying to comfort her, but still swept away in his own love for her.
It had been so long since he had felt like this. Or maybe it was the first time in his life. He didn’t care that he was giving up everything stable about his life. For the first time, he was truly free.
It was Elphaba who broke the kiss a bit suddenly, breathing against him. “Um…we probably should, um…”
“Yeah,” Fiyero admitted, tempted to give her a quick peck but was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop again. “Yeah…later.”
His heart jumped in delight as he noticed Elphaba flushed at the comment. She cleared her throat, trying to sound like her normal self again, but it was easy to notice that she was shaken. “Well then. We should get going.”
He pulled away from her, but offered his hand so they could still touch. Elphaba hesitantly took it, and together they crossed the threshold.
For the first time, Fiyero allowed himself to dare to hope. They wouldn’t be without each other again. They could finally be together. Even though things would never go back to any semblance of normal, at least they would have each other. Maybe, at least for a moment, they wouldn’t be lonely anymore. And maybe Elphaba really did want him the same way he wanted her.
Flying in the direction of the setting sun, Fiyero wrapped his arms tighter around Elphaba’s waist and settled his head onto her shoulder.
She wouldn’t leave again.
Not without him there to follow.